Brides left in panic as events firm folds

Wow Weddings & Events Cannock failed to turn up to at least one ceremony over the weekend and its boss, Donna Hodgkiss has stopped answering calls from angry and anxious brides and grooms-to-be.

A message from the firm on Facebook site reads: “I am now left with no option but to file for bankruptcy. I will now contact everyone who has a booking with me."

Have you been left in turmoil as a result of the firm's difficulties? Send your story to newsdesk@expressandstar.co.uk

Laura Faulkner and her fiancé Chris Hancox, who live in Wolverhampton with their two young children, have invited roughly 100 friends and family to their wedding at Blists Hill in Ironbridge on Saturday.

The groom’s family paid £600 for a package from Wow Weddings that included table runners, chair covers, food, a chocolate fountain and decorations and the bride-to-be had been in regular contact with the company until her calls stopped being answered a week ago.

Laura Faulkner and her fiancé Chris Hancox

Ms Faulkner, 30, said: “We have been planning and saving for this wedding for well over a year but right now I feel like not turning up myself.

“The money is one thing but this will have an enormous effect on our day.

“I should be feeling relaxed but this has put me under so much stress.

“My wedding day is going to be ruined.

“I have made roughly 20 calls and left numerous messages but I have given up on getting any sort of reply.”

Some of the Facebook complaints about the firmMs Hodgkiss's full Facebook response

After trying to make contact with Ms Hodgkiss on the internet, Laura discovered the company’s Facebook page - which has more than 600 likes - has been bombarded with negative reviews over the last week - including one comment that said the firm had failed to turn up to their wedding.

Another woman said she said Wow Weddings £300 for chair covers, sashes, balloon arches and LED trees but claims she has not heard from the business since handing over the cash.

She said: "Nobody can get hold of her because she isn't answering messages or calls.

"This is extra stress I don't need and I feel so let down. I have paid Donna £300 but I don't think she will turn up on the day so I am going to have to hire someone else."

Sammy Holmes, the mother of the groom at another wedding already let down by the company, left a one-star review on its Facebook page and commented: “Feel so sorry for yesterday’s bride and groom who were left devastated by this unprofessional so-called events planner.

“You should feel ashamed of yourself. Do the decent thing and issue a full apology and refund.”

Ms Hodgkiss has not responded to messages left on her phone by the Express & Star.